In a 6-0 vote, the City Planning commission has approved the construction of the proposed eight-story, 99-key Holiday Inn hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

In a 6-0 vote, the City Planning commission has approved the construction of the proposed eight-story, 99-key Holiday Inn hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Forza Group of Bridgeville is investing $9 million in the project, which would replace a two-story structure at 435 Fort Pitt Blvd. near the Fort Pitt Commons building.

Upon completion by next summer, the new hotel development will be the first Holiday Inn property in the city’s downtown area. The closest is a Holiday Inn Express and Suites on South 10th Street, on the South Side (pictured).

The commission’s approval, however, came amid objections from nearby residents and property owners concerned that the project would negatively impact the neighborhood and block their views of the Monongahela River.

The construction of the new boutique hotel has been in the planning stages since 2009. The Forza Group’s initial proposal called for a 12-story structure, the newspaper reports.

The company’s other hotel development projects in the city include a 110-room Hampton Inn on West Carson Street and a 123-room Home2 by Hilton, which is slated to rise on the South Side, at the corner of East Carson and Sarah streets.

In regional hospitality news, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports that GreatStay Hospitality Partners LLC, led by Matthew Shollar, has acquired four Holiday Inn properties in Western Pennsylvania.

Totaling more than 600 rooms, the portfolio consists of a 158-room hotel in Indiana, a 121-room hotel in Clarion, a 156-room hotel in Beaver Falls, and a 178-room hotel in Uniontown.

GreatStay Hospitality announced it plans to renovate the properties, which it considers core assets for the communities in which they operate.

“They have historically been the go-to destination for events and celebrations. We’re excited to rejuvenate the hotels, greatly improve the service and quality of each location and transform them into once again being the hospitality headquarters for the region,” Shollar said in a press statement.